Dehumidifiers

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mattl

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Trying to come up with some options to keep my basement from turning into a soggy mess.  We've ran dehumidifiers for many many decades, I'm on the 3rd or 4th unit.  Plugged it into my Kilowatt meter and find it's running $44 month to operate.  It's about 6 or 7 years old, was considering one of the new energy star units. The new ones are rated at 720 watts, but when I checked the meter my unit is running on 683 watts, no savings there!  I try to keep it around 50% humidity, so  it's not exactly dry.

 

What really puzzles me is that all a dehumidifier basically is is a small refrigerator.  My full size top mount basement fridge costs just under $3.50 a month to operate.  True the compressor may not run 18 or 20 hours a day, but still it's got to be much more efficient than this plastic junk dehumidifier.  I'm at a loss as to what other options are out there to get this cost down.  This is a fully finished and furnished basement so not doing anything is not an option.  Anyone have success with other methods?
 
We currently have 3, although one needs to get sold or something, and we have pretty much the same situation, finished basement that will get smelly and musty without a dehumidifier. The main one that runs all summer without fail is a Soleusair 30 pint that was purchased a few years ago after the big recall of Kenmore units, and I have a feeling it's on it's way out, it will normally keep 50-60% humidity, and it's running 60-65 in the room where the dehumidifier is and 70-75 in another room. #2 is a Whirlpool from the 60's or 70's, 14 pint, but no auto shutoff, and there is only one floor drain so we rarely use that one unless it's humid outside. It works great though, and runs very quiet. #3 that isn't being used and needs to go is a Goldstar? Zenith? Can't remember at the moment but it's made by LG. It was a trash find that had a bad humidity control, and the part was NLA, So I just wired a switch in place and it's either on or off. It works well but is terribly noisy. Hopefully the "new" one at least holds on the rest of the summer! I guess dehumidifiers are just a part of life for those of us with basements though, expensive as they are to run.
 
Not an expert. Just some thoughts and stuff I've read. That it's better to buy/use the highest capacity unit rather than lesser so it's not running as much ? Thoughts anyone. 2ndly shouldn't central air take care of it, it seemed to at my moms house.

I guess I'm lucky in this house, we,re built on sand near the lake and don't have the issue surprisingly compared to others on the far side of town
 
I have an LG, bought at an estate sale three years ago for >$30.  It was a year or so old when I bought it, so far no problems.   I haven't clocked the usage, but my bill went down some from  running the '98 Frigidaire WCI we had before.  It's still noisy, but much quieter than the Frigidaire.   I turn it on the end of march and let it run at 40% setting until September or first part of October.  It doesn't seem to run too much with central a/c, but the return air vents are all upstairs so we still need it for the basement.   I have a rather ugly and annoying garden hose that is long enough to reach the floor drain from the furthest point I place it in the basement.  I hate emptying those tanks and I think it's more economical to run it self-draining in the long run.  Otherwise, the tank fills up, unit shuts off, is forgotten for a couple of days, then it has to run constantly to catch up again.  Vicious circle. 
 
I always thought of a dehumidifier as an air conditioner in reality, it condenses the air to remove the moisture, and then the evaporator coil warms the cooled air back up......

we didn't have central air at the time, but the dehumidifier at the time would freeze up from the basement being so chilled.....blind luck we had a double laundry tub, and found by placing a 5000btu air conditioner on a board mounted on the sink, that it worked better, was set on automatic, didn't freeze, and drained into the sink....

sometimes a small fan in the window will control humidity better, and cheaper, as your getting a good exchange of air.....

this is one advantage to having several dryers in the basement area......think about all the air exchange when their running....I have a dehumidifier that never runs....
 
In our summer climate, the infiltration from running the dryer raises the humidity in the basement, rather than lowering it. The humidifier will get it down to 52%, say, but after running the dryer for an hour it will be back up to 53, 54%.
 
Vents.

Do you have central AC? If so, make sure that a vent to the basement is open. Not for comfort, but for humidity control and to keep some air exchange happening in the basement.

I second the heat pump water heater. They are expensive, but boy, can they come in handy and kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

Dave
 
I was driving yesterday and heard a commercial on the radio for a new way to keep your basement dry and odor free. It was something about wave technology. Supposed to cost about .21 cents a day to operate. If I remember correctly their website was my dry basement .com probably with no spaces. Just remembered this and have not looked at the website but will after finishing here. Would be nice to find an alternative to the dehumidifiers for a lower running cost.

Jon
 
#3 for the heatpump water tank.. I've read alot on them and for dank basments there awesome

Honestly, I've always known AC units to do better job and keep things more constant than a dehumidifer... Esp in a finished area.... Although an investment, I would also 2nd the mini spilt... A small 24k btu unit should do your basment nicely and they can be had for 2400..

Otherwise I would eat the cost and run a good used older dehumidifier.... The new ones are all junk and from what I know LG, Soleus Air, and Woods all have had recalls.. If i remember right there are only 3 true manufacturers now

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www.cadmusgroup.com
 
Wave Technology

Apparently the deal that Jon heard of on the radio is a high priced vent fan which would explain the low operating cost. Of course in the right conditions it may help (so could opening a window). But alas there is no such thing as a free lunch :(
 
>> Not an expert. Just some thoughts and stuff I've read. That it's better to buy/use the highest capacity unit rather than lesser so it's not running as much ? Thoughts anyone.

I run two smaller ones. My reasons:
* If you buy just one big one, and it breaks down, you have a problem.
* Two units can be placed on opposite sides of a basement, and remove moisture more evenly, without requiring other fans to circulate air.
* The smaller units are easier to move around.
 
Thanks.  I'll keep that in mind if the unit I have dies....

 

As to the comments on the fan venting systems,  I did read through a number of forums on the topic last night and my conclusion is that they really don't dry out the space they simply exchange the air.  Potentially I see a real problem. The air - at least in my basement - is cool and loaded with a fair amount of water.  If that heavy cool air is pushed out by a fan or some other exhaust method it will bring in warm moist air.  This warm air carries more water in it, and when it gets into the cooler basement the water has to go somewhere.  While the smell of dampness may be less noticeable because of the constant fresher air, in reality the moisture is still there, perhaps aggravated by the warmer air intake.  

 

To me the only real solutions would be to either seal up the basement walls and floors as much as possible to stop the transfer of moisture, or as many do mechanically remove the moisture with a dehumidifier.  I've got a 70 pint model and if the hose gets blocked - I use an unobtrusive clear 1/2" line to the floor drain - I can dump the bucket 2-3 times a day.  That is a lot of water.  If the walls were not finished I would seal up the concrete but at his point not an option.  I guess there really is no cheap option.
 
A few ideas from experience:

-Is any part of the floor accessible? If so, seal it. Every little bit helps.

- As Volvoguy87 said, if your house has central air, make sure all basement vents are open. If there are no vents, cut into a return duct and install one. Then make sure there's a sufficient flow of air from the floor above.

- If you have window units and the house has warm-air heat, install a thermostat that allows the furnace fan to run independently and follow ducting advice above.

- If you have window units and no ductwork, install a small exhaust fan in the basement and crack a window in an upper room to allow dry air to flow down (less energy efficient though).

 

If none of the above are viable, I'm afraid you're stuck with buying a second dehumidifier.

 

As for the heat pump water heaters, I had no idea that they produced excess water that needs to be drained/collected. Thanks.

 

Jim 
 
I have a 70 pint dehumidifier in the basement sitting directly over a floor drain. Saves on checking it every day. It is an unfinished basement but the walls and floor have been sealed with a water proofer. It is all white and bright when you turn the lights on. I do store a lot of items in the basement so moisture control is necessary. I do have a zone in the basement for the central ac/heat and keep it at about 72 degrees. The a/c is not enough to keep it as dry as I would like. The dehumidifier is set at 50% and runs quite a lot. I have noticed that when the moisture in the air drops off outside it drops quite a bit in the basement as well. I guess there is no cheap way of keeping it dry. Now from what I have read humidity is not like heat and a/c. It travels on its own with no air circulation, so fans I don't believe are necessary to assist the dehumidifier with its own built in fan. Just more power being used. I have also read that a larger unit is more efficient that can cycle on and off than a smaller unit that runs constantly.

Jon
 

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